Team Liquid and CoreJJ Search for Redemption at Worlds 2024

“Pursue perfection to achieve excellence". Words spoken by one of the greatest leaders in sports history, Vince Lombardi, Team Liquid’s 2024 season couldn’t be any more true to this statement. Finishing LCS Spring champions, representing the LCS in 3 different international titles (including Worlds 2024), and coming so close to becoming the LCS champions in an undefeated fashion, the team is recognized for their hard work and effort this year, just as they have done so in all of their previous years.

However, TL fumbled the bag when the stakes were at their highest. The controversial ending to their championship loss vs Flyquest may be what’s freshly ingrained into the memories of many, but the overall year has had plenty of ups and downs for them. Their stretch through the Spring Playoffs and into Summer was possibly the most dominant an LCS team has ever been. And, their international record is unusually bright for an LCS team — nearly toppling Faker and T1 twice.

Still, Team Liquid’s players want more than “almosts” and silver medals. As Team Liquid heads into the biggest tournament of the year, Worlds 2024, their mind is on redemption, earned through a truly excellent international run. Ideally, featuring a rematch with T1 and Faker. Third time’s the charm, right?

Ahead of their tournament run at Worlds, CoreJJ sat down to share some thoughts about his team’s future.

Thoughts on making it to Worlds as the #2 LCS seed?

It was a very long year for us, and I feel that we’ve shown consistent growth so far. It really was a disappointing loss in the LCS finals, so I hope to make the redemption run at Worlds this year.

Heading into the LCS finals, Team Liquid were the clear favorites to become LCS champions. What happened in the end that allowed the team to fumble? 

Our finals performance was absolutely terrible, so I don’t want to make any excuses. It was clearly a performance issue. I believe Flyquest is a team that’s not significantly weaker than us. Flyquest was the better team that day, and our weaknesses showed.

Can you tell us what happened [in that final game and loss to minions] from the team’s perspective? How did the team regather themselves after having a chance to cool down from the loss?

We had a really good lead that game, so as long as we were able to safely close it out, the game was ours. However, there were a bit of miscalculations on our end, which led to our unfortunate defeat.

The whole team was definitely disappointed by how we couldn’t close out a great season. In the end, our Worlds result is what really matters, so we took the time to mentally gather ourselves to shift into work mode to do the best we can at Worlds.

Because we’re a team that’s good and confident in our teamwork, the plan for Worlds is to formulate game plans that will not only showcase our strengths, but also to minimize our weaknesses and adapt. 

Worlds 2024 will be the third international tournament that Team Liquid’s current roster will be playing together. As it is the most important one, how is the team’s mindset heading into Worlds different from those previous times? Have your goals changed for this year?

I always think that there’s a lot that I learn whenever we play at international events. Worlds is no longer a learning ground, so I really hope to prove that I still got it this year.

If we can make it to the semi-finals, I would be really happy. We internally assessed that if we can consistently play at our peak, we can make it to the semi-finals… But first, we’d have to make it to the knockout stage. I would be pretty satisfied with that as well, but I want to adapt well over the course of the tournament so that we can create some upsets.

One question that’s always asked during this time of the year is the gap between the Western teams and the Eastern teams. How do you compare yourselves against the Eastern teams, as well as the LEC?

I always think that the Eastern teams have very tight fundamentals, so we have to make sure we can keep up. I think that in terms of the plays that we do make as a team, we do not fall behind them at all, and it will be really important to get an edge over them by outplaying them as a team.

As for EU, I really think the LEC is especially weak this year compared to previous years. I think that us and Flyquest are stronger than the LEC. As for 100 Thieves… Well they would have to make it to the main stage first [laughter].

Q. As the team looks ahead to make their redemption run, is there a particular team/player that you hope to take down in the process?

As far as the groups draw goes, I believe we have a chance to be drawn against LCK’s 3rd & 4th seeds. I really want to play T1 again.

For some reason, we keep ending up facing T1 in international tournaments. We played them three times since last year’s Worlds. I believe that we are getting closer to catching up to them, so I think if we beat them this year, the redemption arc will be a beautiful storyline.

With the news of the LCS being rebranded to an all-Americas league for 2025, this year’s Worlds will be the last time you represent the LCS. Are there any particular memories and/or moments that you cherish from your time in the LCS?

Ever since I came to the LCS, there have been nothing but happy moments. However, I don’t think there is one that particularly stands out, so I’m hoping that 2024 is the year that will stand out.

So how do you hope to be remembered, as the last LCS representatives at Worlds?

I don’t want the LCS to be remembered as the weakest major region, so I hope that before the rebranding of the league, I want to prove we’re a real threat on the international stage. I want to be able to get the fans excited to see just how far we can make the run, and although I say this every year, I want to assure the fans that we are diligently putting in the work to make 2024 the year of the LCS.

While I was preparing for this interview, one of the headlines of an old interview I read was “If Team Liquid continues to want me, I’m here to stay.” Does that statement remain true to the present day?

Team Liquid has treated me incredibly well ever since I started my journey in the LCS. They have shown me nothing but respect and provided me with everything I needed, and I want to believe that I’ve been putting in the work for them as well.

As long as we continue to see eye to eye on our future, Team Liquid will always continue to be my home.